Quick question OT: for someone who's seen it, is Cecil B. DeMille's Ten Commandments actually any good? Or entertaining? Love El Cid, don't like Ben-Hur as much, but still haven't seen this one.

I like it quite a bit. It is very deliberately acted in the manner that soap operas are, but I love the story so much that I'm still drawn into it. The effects aren't necessarily natural although I'm not entirely sure how natural miracles delivered by God are supposed to look.

Thu Mar 27, 2014 9:05 am

Syd Henderson

Director

Joined: Tue Jun 30, 2009 1:35 amPosts: 1736

Re: Last Movie You Watched

CasualDad wrote:

MGamesCook wrote:

Quick question OT: for someone who's seen it, is Cecil B. DeMille's Ten Commandments actually any good? Or entertaining? Love El Cid, don't like Ben-Hur as much, but still haven't seen this one.

I like it quite a bit. It is very deliberately acted in the manner that soap operas are, but I love the story so much that I'm still drawn into it. The effects aren't necessarily natural although I'm not entirely sure how natural miracles delivered by God are supposed to look.

It's okay, especially if you're amused by over-the-top performances. To tell the truth, The Prince of Egypt told the same story in half the time, is less campy, and the parting of the Red Sea looks better.

_________________Evil does not wear a bonnet!--Mr. Tinkles

Thu Mar 27, 2014 2:02 pm

Vexer

Auteur

Joined: Sun Oct 07, 2012 12:02 pmPosts: 3654Location: Zion, IL

Re: Last Movie You Watched

Syd Henderson wrote:

CasualDad wrote:

MGamesCook wrote:

Quick question OT: for someone who's seen it, is Cecil B. DeMille's Ten Commandments actually any good? Or entertaining? Love El Cid, don't like Ben-Hur as much, but still haven't seen this one.

I like it quite a bit. It is very deliberately acted in the manner that soap operas are, but I love the story so much that I'm still drawn into it. The effects aren't necessarily natural although I'm not entirely sure how natural miracles delivered by God are supposed to look.

It's okay, especially if you're amused by over-the-top performances. To tell the truth, The Prince of Egypt told the same story in half the time, is less campy, and the parting of the Red Sea looks better.

I thought it was an overlong borefest myself.

Thu Mar 27, 2014 2:29 pm

Mark III

Assistant Director

Joined: Sat Aug 04, 2012 5:43 pmPosts: 837

Re: Last Movie You Watched

I've never seen The Ten Commandments all the way through primarily because it always seemed more like an event on the calendar rather than a movie. As a kid, I may have been somewhat swept up by the portions I did catch during the yearly broadcast but this is almost certainly a function of the movie's grandiosity and a kid's somewhat mystified confusion over whether what he/she is watching is documentary evidence or staged magic. Through the years, I've considered The Ten Commandments to be a rite of passage, something to relegate to hazy memory when a simple rental would clarify everything and reduce the film to what it is: an epic Hollywood movie. I'll admit that there's a part of me that feels protective of the movie not for what it is or could be but because, in the brief glimpses I caught, there's a suffusion of comfort in the memory -- a feeling of gathering (our house was always the host of Passover festivities) and familiarity. That some of these memories are false, certainly bolstered by my memories of a non-traumatic childhood that valued things like family and friends without the adulteration of actual emotional honesty (cue Karenina's "All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way,"), is immaterial as the canvas is finished.

When I read that a forumite was interested in whether or not the movie was good, I was unexpectedly taken aback: had anyone ever watched The Ten Commandments without the asterisks of yearly television event, unquestionable ritual like that offered by a Super Bowl. By way of ontology, we recognize the existence of this Heston film, an immovable object and never a thing acted and directed and released to a public looking to be engaged.

_________________"The Internet has given everybody in America a voice. For some reason, everybody decides to use that voice to bitch about movies." - Holden McNeil

Thu Mar 27, 2014 2:48 pm

PeachyPete

Cinematographer

Joined: Sun Oct 07, 2012 8:09 pmPosts: 638

Re: Last Movie You Watched

Mark III wrote:

When I read that a forumite was interested in whether or not the movie was good, I was unexpectedly taken aback: had anyone ever watched The Ten Commandments without the asterisks of yearly television event, unquestionable ritual like that offered by a Super Bowl. By way of ontology, we recognize the existence of this Heston film, an immovable object and never a thing acted and directed and released to a public looking to be engaged.

It's like when TBS airs A Christmas Story for 24 straight hours on the holiday. There comes a point in time when these movies cease being movies in any traditional manner. There obviously has to be some kind of initial appreciation as a films in order for them to become synonymous with...whatever it is they become synonymous with. Sure, The Ten Commandments was nominated for a slew of Oscars in the 50s and generally well-received, but is there anyone under the age of, say, 50 who doesn't associated the movie with Easter or Passover? The ages and critical reception differ for Ralphie's movie, but the same concept applies.

Now pretend this is the end of an episode of Sex and the City: Is it even possible to appreciate these movies and just movies?

I saw The Grand Budapest Hotel the other day and found it pretty wonderful. Not Anderson's best, but it's a nice sort of change of pace for the director (it's firmly a Wes Anderson joint, and you won't mistake it for something else). He's at least interested in a little more than melancholy family issues (not that I don't love that stuff). The structure and constant references to various storytellers hints at his appreciation and love of spinning yarns, but the happenings of the film reveal a bit more - the idea of stories of documents of history. They may not be nonfiction, but they do give insight into history, sometimes in ways just as valuable. And the movie itself is entertaining as all hell as a murder mystery sort of thing.

Speaking of the past, I saw The Past, Asghar Farhadi's followup to his brilliant A Separation. It's pretty incredible. The thriller aspects of his earlier film are traded in for a more straightforward drama, but the subtle statements about people and depth of character are still all there. It's subtly stylish too, which is always impressive. He has a real knack for making naturalistic movies that are also very cinematic. One of last year's best, for sure.

Thu Mar 27, 2014 4:51 pm

nitrium

Director

Joined: Sat Oct 13, 2012 2:42 pmPosts: 1333Location: New Zealand

Re: Last Movie You Watched

Biutiful (2010)http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1164999/In between playing one of the best screen villains of all time (No Country for Old Men) and one of the worst screen villains of all time (Skyfall), Javier Bardem played Uxbal in Biutiful, a film from his native country (Spain). Uxbal lives in a Barcelona slum apartment with his two children (the mother is a prostitute manic depressive and he has custody) who he can barely keep fed. His "job" revolves around helping illegal immigrants get jobs, either making counterfeit items in an illegal Chinese sweatshop or selling said items on the streets - he takes a cut of the profit. He finds out he has cancer, and only a few months to live. Oh, and he sometimes sees dead people. Everything goes pretty much downhill for him from there. Yes, this film truly is a relentless downer, but in a strangely good way. Bardem gives a frankly stunning performance (if this had been a US film, he would have been a shoe-in for a Best Actor Oscar) and while this sort of thing might not be for everyone and at 2:20 is imo a bit on the long side, I was captivated throughout. Biutiful is beautiful.8.5/10.

Thu Mar 27, 2014 5:25 pm

Sexual Chocolate

Director

Joined: Sun Jun 20, 2010 4:04 pmPosts: 1748Location: New Hampshire

Re: Last Movie You Watched

The Ten Commandments is interesting for its sociopolitical perspectives (oh, the days when Hollywood made four-hour anti-Communist allegories...), but I don't think it's truly transcendent cinema. But still, one could argue that the "Charlton Heston as Jesus" phase of his career has its roots here.

_________________Death is pretty finalI'm collecting vinylI'm gonna DJ at the end of the world.

Thu Mar 27, 2014 5:44 pm

MGamesCook

Director

Joined: Thu Oct 11, 2012 7:44 pmPosts: 1845

Re: Last Movie You Watched

I don't know if scale alone is what I look for in these movies, but I'll probably end up giving Ten Commandments a watch. There's still a fair slew of 4-hour semi-classics I've yet to see.

Thu Mar 27, 2014 6:08 pm

Ken

Director

Joined: Sun Oct 07, 2012 6:26 pmPosts: 1728

Re: Last Movie You Watched

I feel like that's one of those movies you need to see purely for the sake of your cinema literacy... but it's the big-budget schlock of its day.

_________________The temptation is to like what you should like--not what you do like... another temptation is to come up with an interesting reason for liking it that may not actually be the reason you like it.

Thu Mar 27, 2014 6:24 pm

Mark III

Assistant Director

Joined: Sat Aug 04, 2012 5:43 pmPosts: 837

Re: Last Movie You Watched

A Man Named Pete wrote:

It's like when TBS airs A Christmas Story for 24 straight hours on the holiday. There comes a point in time when these movies cease being movies in any traditional manner. There obviously has to be some kind of initial appreciation as a films in order for them to become synonymous with...whatever it is they become synonymous with. Sure, The Ten Commandments was nominated for a slew of Oscars in the 50s and generally well-received, but is there anyone under the age of, say, 50 who doesn't associated the movie with Easter or Passover? The ages and critical reception differ for Ralphie's movie, but the same concept applies.

I suppose A Christmas Story really has transitioned into bulletproof classic; I'd never considered it since it has, like Heston's bible epic, become Holiday Background Radiation.

_________________"The Internet has given everybody in America a voice. For some reason, everybody decides to use that voice to bitch about movies." - Holden McNeil

Thu Mar 27, 2014 7:55 pm

Vexer

Auteur

Joined: Sun Oct 07, 2012 12:02 pmPosts: 3654Location: Zion, IL

Re: Last Movie You Watched

Mark III wrote:

A Man Named Pete wrote:

It's like when TBS airs A Christmas Story for 24 straight hours on the holiday. There comes a point in time when these movies cease being movies in any traditional manner. There obviously has to be some kind of initial appreciation as a films in order for them to become synonymous with...whatever it is they become synonymous with. Sure, The Ten Commandments was nominated for a slew of Oscars in the 50s and generally well-received, but is there anyone under the age of, say, 50 who doesn't associated the movie with Easter or Passover? The ages and critical reception differ for Ralphie's movie, but the same concept applies.

I suppose A Christmas Story really has transitioned into bulletproof classic; I'd never considered it since it has, like Heston's bible epic, become Holiday Background Radiation.

I would definitely not call that film a "bulletproof classic" in any sense of the word(for me the main part that sticks out in my memory is that racist scene in the Chinese restaurant, that was pretty cringeworthy)

Thu Mar 27, 2014 9:12 pm

AJR

Assistant Second Unit Director

Joined: Mon Oct 29, 2012 1:49 amPosts: 96

Re: Last Movie You Watched

"bulletproof classic" is my favourite word

Thu Mar 27, 2014 9:59 pm

Gwaihir

Second Unit Director

Joined: Sun Dec 16, 2012 12:14 amPosts: 283

Re: Last Movie You Watched

Vexer wrote:

Mark III wrote:

A Man Named Pete wrote:

It's like when TBS airs A Christmas Story for 24 straight hours on the holiday. There comes a point in time when these movies cease being movies in any traditional manner. There obviously has to be some kind of initial appreciation as a films in order for them to become synonymous with...whatever it is they become synonymous with. Sure, The Ten Commandments was nominated for a slew of Oscars in the 50s and generally well-received, but is there anyone under the age of, say, 50 who doesn't associated the movie with Easter or Passover? The ages and critical reception differ for Ralphie's movie, but the same concept applies.

I suppose A Christmas Story really has transitioned into bulletproof classic; I'd never considered it since it has, like Heston's bible epic, become Holiday Background Radiation.

I would definitely not call that film a "bulletproof classic" in any sense of the word(for me the main part that sticks out in my memory is that racist scene in the Chinese restaurant, that was pretty cringeworthy)

Or laughworthy.

Fri Mar 28, 2014 3:53 pm

Mark III

Assistant Director

Joined: Sat Aug 04, 2012 5:43 pmPosts: 837

Re: Last Movie You Watched

When that guy does his Debbie Downer thing ("I disagree, I thought it wasn't funny and wasn't clever") I just sort of pull back, lament that the conversation has died before it had a chance to begin, and start bracing myself for the next time it's going to happen. I very nearly hear this sound whenever I see that a conversational opportunity has been poisoned: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNcDwin4BbY

But we all fight on, the one's that are left.

_________________"The Internet has given everybody in America a voice. For some reason, everybody decides to use that voice to bitch about movies." - Holden McNeil

Fri Mar 28, 2014 4:16 pm

Gwaihir

Second Unit Director

Joined: Sun Dec 16, 2012 12:14 amPosts: 283

Re: Last Movie You Watched

Mark III wrote:

When that guy does his Debbie Downer thing ("I disagree, I thought it wasn't funny and wasn't clever") I just sort of pull back, lament that the conversation has died before it had a chance to begin, and start bracing myself for the next time it's going to happen. I very nearly hear this sound whenever I see that a conversational opportunity has been poisoned: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNcDwin4BbY

But we all fight on, the one's that are left.

LOL on the Pac-Man sound effect, well done Mark.

Fri Mar 28, 2014 5:05 pm

Ken

Director

Joined: Sun Oct 07, 2012 6:26 pmPosts: 1728

Re: Last Movie You Watched

I was debating with myself whether it would be the arcade version or the Atari 2600 version. Happy it was the former; admittedly more familiar with the latter.

_________________The temptation is to like what you should like--not what you do like... another temptation is to come up with an interesting reason for liking it that may not actually be the reason you like it.

Fri Mar 28, 2014 5:13 pm

peng

Director

Joined: Sun Oct 07, 2012 10:42 pmPosts: 1378Location: Bangkok

Re: Last Movie You Watched

Sexy Beast (2001)

Differentiates itself from most "one last job" crime dramas with the off-kilter tone/direction, character beats, and unusually devoting the first two-thirds to the job negotiation. Ben Kingsley is pretty monumental, a delicious villain whose primary tactic of being an immoveable object is mesmerizing and chilling, complete with endless stream of memorable quotes ("No, you are going to have to turn this opportunity yes!") and colorful insults. Ray Winstone's nervous stubbornness provides the perfect rapport with Kingsley. When that dynamic changes towards the end, the film loses some of its energy. Still, the exuberance and style of Jonathan Glazer's direction is entertaining to the end. 8/10

Sat Mar 29, 2014 5:23 am

Ken

Director

Joined: Sun Oct 07, 2012 6:26 pmPosts: 1728

Re: Last Movie You Watched

peng wrote:

Sexy Beast (2001)

Differentiates itself from most "one last job" crime dramas with the off-kilter tone/direction, character beats, and unusually devoting the first two-thirds to the job negotiation. Ben Kingsley is pretty monumental, a delicious villain whose primary tactic of being an immoveable object is mesmerizing and chilling, complete with endless stream of memorable quotes ("No, you are going to have to turn this opportunity yes!") and colorful insults. Ray Winstone's nervous stubbornness provides the perfect rapport with Kingsley. When that dynamic changes towards the end, the film loses some of its energy. Still, the exuberance and style of Jonathan Glazer's direction is entertaining to the end. 8/10

I was just recommended this one by a friend a few days ago. Now that you've brought it up, I shall have to watch it.

_________________The temptation is to like what you should like--not what you do like... another temptation is to come up with an interesting reason for liking it that may not actually be the reason you like it.

Sat Mar 29, 2014 5:35 am

Sexual Chocolate

Director

Joined: Sun Jun 20, 2010 4:04 pmPosts: 1748Location: New Hampshire

Re: Last Movie You Watched

Jesus Camp

As you all know, I'm a big fan of horror movies. However, I've always said that the things that frighten me most are things that are real. So with that said, Jesus Camp is undoubtedly one of the most unsettling films I've ever seen. Centered on a Bible camp for evangelical kids, I couldn't help but feel physically ill as I watched these young children led to believe that they are filled with evil, and the things they love are all evil, and the majority of the people in the world are evil. Let's leave aside the scene where they're praying to a cardboard cutout of then-president George W. Bush; what I found so disturbing was the psychological abuse on display here.

I'll take one scene that stuck out to me: Early on, we meet a teen who says that he was "saved" when he was five years old. He felt that he needed Jesus, he says, because his life had no true meaning and he needed something with purpose. Trouble is, five-year-old kids don't think like that. When I was five, I was just learning how to find my dick. I wasn't thinking about my greater purpose in life. That "realization" this young man had was not his own. It was a choice made for him, though he probably didn't realize it at the time and likely doesn't realize it now.

There are those who like to whine about how our schools indoctrinate our kids with things like evolution and other inconvenient truths. But this film is what real indoctrination looks like. It's an ugly thing, and my only hope is that the kids we see in this film are someday able to become their own selves.

_________________Death is pretty finalI'm collecting vinylI'm gonna DJ at the end of the world.

Sat Mar 29, 2014 10:09 am

nitrium

Director

Joined: Sat Oct 13, 2012 2:42 pmPosts: 1333Location: New Zealand

Re: Last Movie You Watched

Seconds (1966)http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060955/Rock Hudson stars (although you don't see him for the first 40 minutes!) in this film directed by John Frankenheimer about rebooting ("rebirthing") your life. A shady organisation provides everything needed: a corpse and staged cause of death (so your old self isn't "missing"), extensive surgery, a new name, and new occupation - i.e. a whole new life. It's a great sci-fi concept, and the movie doesn't seem dated at all. The film is also surprisingly liberal with nudity, something that I wasn't expecting from a film this old - you'd almost think the film industry is more prudish now than it was back then. The shock ending will certainly linger in my mind for some time. A good watch - and remember, try to be happy with what you have .7.5/10.

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